Activity Ideas for 11yo boy

[Anonymous]

My 11yo son will be traveling solo to stay with grandparents in the DC area for two weeks this summer. Grandparents are looking for suggestions of things to do esp. in Bethesda-Rockville-Gaithersburg. The constraint is that both grandparents have mobility issues (they can walk 15-20mins, but nothing more strenuous than that).

Things like Sandy Spring Adventure Park would normally be a lot of fun, but in this case impossible because neither grandparent is mobile enough to accompany DS and SSAP does not allow you to rent a guide. Ideally, we're looking for something active that can be monitored from a distance, or something highly interactive that doesn't require strenuous movement. DS has been to the Smithsonians too many times to count & wants to do something different.

I've thought about a 'room escape' place that is supposed to be opening up in Rockville soon, public swimming pools, movies. Any other ideas?

[Anonymous]

Zavazone in Rockville is super fun. The parking lot is right outside the front door, and there are places to sit and watch while your kid has fun. My 9yo's favorite place (climbing, dodgeball pit, tramps, zip line etc.)

[Anonymous]

I know this is not what you asked, but just wanted to throw this out there. My MIL, who is awaiting knee replacement surgery and has a hard time getting around, is renting an electric wheelchair. Not sure if that might be something you want to explore so that you might have more options for your son while he is there.

[Anonymous]

Big Train baseball

[Anonymous]

Trampoline park

[Anonymous]

I've found these websites helpful in finding things to do:

our-kids.com: https://www.our-kids.com
kid friendly dc: http://kidfriendlydc.com

Imagination Stage in Bethesda has good shows.

Earth Treks in Rockville is good for indoor rock climbing. (They can sit and watch.)
Dynamite Agility/Gymnastics have open gyms. Again they can sit and watch.

There are indoor and outdoor pools run by Montgomery County:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec/thingstodo/aquatics/index.html
The city of Rockville has some separate facilities.

The MoCo Public Libraries often hold free events throughout the summer for kids like magic shows, lego builds:
http://host.evanced.info/montgomerycountymd/evanced/eventcalendar.asp?ln=ALL&df=list&dt=sd
You can search by branch and age range.

[Anonymous]

My parents are also frail, and Uber and Lyft have been lifesavers. They can go various places, like the Sandy Spring Adventure Park, sit and watch while the kids have a good time, then call for transportation home...Closer to home (and less expensive than Uber or Lyft): The National Cathedral has a cool playground, open on weekends to the public. Zip Line, tree house, big sports field.

[Anonymous]

What about looking into a camp for some of the time. There are some that will do the adventurous stuff so that your parents can focus on the more relaxing activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents are also frail, and Uber and Lyft have been lifesavers. They can go various places, like the Sandy Spring Adventure Park, sit and watch while the kids have a good time, then call for transportation home...Closer to home (and less expensive than Uber or Lyft): The National Cathedral has a cool playground, open on weekends to the public. Zip Line, tree house, big sports field.

Beauvoir School (near the Cathedral) is a very cool playground. It's almost all full sun, so can be incredibly hot. Unless you pay for parking at the Cathedral, which can be $$, street parking can be hard to find. Most importantly for people with mobility issues, it would be a pain. You'd have to walk uphill to the entrance, then down hill to the playground, and the ground is very uneven.